Boulevard of Broken Dreams
by Xdon't-mind-meX
Summary: It's hard living everyday knowing that you're the cause of the death of everyone you've ever loved. Sometimes you wonder why you even still exsist. This is Danny's story. TUE based.


Basically this story's about what the summary said. There are no pairings in this fic so don't get your hopes up. Some of you might ask about clockwork at the end of why didn't he save his family like in TUE. Well, this is an AU fic where he didn't. Kay? Good. Also, so you don't get confuse, it's been at least 2 weeks since the Nasty Burger incident.

Empty. That was the only word that'd come to mind if you ever set eyes on the place. Debris lay everywhere. Every single building that was still standing was broken and abandoned. Street lamps were toppled over, trees uprooted, and cars left overturned on the streets. There was no living creature in sight. No noise. Nothing. This was once the town of Amity Park. Home of the famous Danny Phantom.

Footsteps echoed through the town. A small figure approached. His clothes were worn and ragged and he looked as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. His disheveled hair turned with the breeze. The boy looked upon his once beloved home with tears in his eyes.

_**I walk a lonely road  
The only one that I have ever known  
Don't know where it goes  
But it's home to me and I walk alone**_

He stumbled on the broken road. Past the buildings, past the Nasty Burger, and past the park. He kept his blue eyes on the road for fear of looking at something and remembering.

His home. All of it gone. No one was left but him. The survivors were all long gone. But it was useless. Danny was sure his future self was off to destroy the whole world, not just Amity Park.

"I failed."

He had promised to protect his family. But he didn't even possess the strength to go ghost and rescue his family on that horrible day that seemed so long ago. It wasn't long afterwards that Phantom escaped for the thermos. Danny didn't even bother to stop him like the useless coward he was. Who was he kidding playing the hero? He didn't have the strength then and he didn't have the strength now.

Danny kicked up a rock in the road and watched it slide till it ran out of momentum and stopped. He kicked it again.

_**I walk this empty street  
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams  
Where the city sleeps  
and I'm the only one and I walk alone**_

"_You think you can stop me?"_

Phantom's voice rang through Danny's head.

"_You actually thought you could save them didn't you? You're weak AND foolish!"_

"No. Stop it."

"_You're just an insignificant insect that needs to be squashed."_

Danny covered his hands over his ears to block out the horrible voice.

"Stop it!"

"_No matter where you'll run, you need only look into a mirror to see the one who's to blame."_

"STOP!"

Danny kicked the stone so hard it flew 10 feet in the air before coming back down. He was breathing hard.

"It's not true, it's not true, it's not true."

"_I'm the monster under your bed. I'm the shadow that follows your every move. Your worst nightmares have only begun."_

_**My shadow's the only one that walks beside me  
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating  
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
'Til then I walk alone**_

"He's not there," Danny whispered to himself. "You're not going to turn into him. You're not crazy."

Danny slowly looked down at the ground at his shadow. It was the same as it had ever been these past 14 years. He let out breath of relief. The shadow suddenly rippled and took a new shape. It had flaming hair and a long flowing cape.

"No! I'm not evil! I'm not evil! Leave me alone!"

The shadow merely laughed at him.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Danny ran from the dark figure as fast as he could and took refuge in a broken down building nearby. There wasn't any light so he wouldn't be able to see his shadow. He'd be safe. He sat on the ground and pulled his knees up to his chin. After a few minutes of sitting his eyes started to drift shut. Images flickered across his mind. People he once knew and loved. Some of them good. Some of them not.

"Danny, are you alright?"

Jazz reached out a hand to him.

"Let me help you. I can make it all better."

Danny looked up to see his beloved sister.

"Jazz?"

No sooner did the word cross his lips did she fade away.

"No wait! Jazz! Come back!"

The picture vanished completely and Vlad suddenly stood before him.

"You'll join me one day, Daniel. You and your mother."

"No!" Danny covered his ears. "You're not real. Go away!"

The image shifted again morphing into Sam. She held her head in her arms. Her cries echoed off the walls.

"Sam?"

"Danny…how could you?"

"What? Sam, I—"

A shadow approached her from behind and struck her down without warning. Danny's protective instincts immediately took over.

"What have you done??" he screamed.

The figure laughed. "Nothing you wouldn't have done."

Danny felt the terror rise up in his throat as the figure stepped into view. It was himself. Not his future self. But him. Danny took a step back.

"N-No! That's impossible!"

The evil twin just grinned. "Oh it's possible alright."

"No! Stay away! STAY AWAY!"

_**I'm walking down the line  
That divides me somewhere in my mind  
On the border line  
Of the edge and where I walk alone**_

Danny ran out of the building. He ran and ran and ran. His mind set on the one place he knew he'd be safe…home.

He sprinted up the steps past the unhinged door. He didn't stop till he came to his room. The roof had been torn off. Papers were scattered everywhere. Danny went over to his closet. It was the only thing that wasn't in ruins. He quickly shut the door behind him as he walked in. He moved some of his old shoes out of the way and lifted up the floorboard. There, tucked neatly out of the way from danger, was a picture of him and his family and friends. They looked so happy back then.

He pulled his knees up around him still staring longingly at the lost memory. Maybe, just maybe, if he closed his eyes and thought long and hard enough, he'd wake up to find all of this a dream. Yes, a dream, that's what all this was. It was all just a very long, and very horrible nightmarish dream. He was in his bed and Jazz was going to come up any minute and tell him to come down for breakfast. Then they'd all sit down together and have his mother's famous flapjacks. He could already taste them. There was no Dan Phantom. And there certainly was no evil twin. Never was, never will be.

_**Read between the lines  
What's fucked up and everything's alright  
Check my vital signs  
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone**_

The morning found him curled up in the same position he had fell asleep in. There was no telling how long Danny stayed in that closet. Time, after all, didn't matter to him anymore. Danny slowly opened his eyes and groaned. He removed a bothersome shoe that was poking him in the back. Memories of last night flooded his mind; a road, his parents, and a dream. He shot up.

"The dream! It was…'

He looked at his surroundings and his hopes fell.

"Not real." He finished.

For one glorious moment he actually believed he'd dreamed it all. He was foolish to get his hopes up. Danny's shoulders slumped forward. But he knew he'd have to get up sometime. He couldn't stay there much longer. He'd have to move on soon.

He stepped out of his small sanctuary and grabbed a duffle bag lying on the floor. In only a couple of minutes Danny had stripped his room of anything he'd need on his journey. After he was done and sure he'd gotten everything out of his room, he headed downstairs to the kitchen. He put all the canned and packaged food he could find in the bag.

Danny scanned the room one last time in case he missed anything. His eyes caught on something on the inside of the refrigerator. The door had been ripped off revealing everything to him. It was the emergency ham button. Memories of all the times he pressed that button flashed through his mind and his eyes watered. Strange how so simple a thing can make you sad.

Danny gave himself a shake. He would have none of that. If he was to leave this place forever he would have to be strong.

Soon everything was ready. He was all set to go. Danny stood at the front door looking outside. His feet seemed to have seemed to have suddenly grown heavier than cement blocks.

_You can do this. Come on Danny, there's nothing left for you here._

His feet ignored him. He stayed like that for a long, long time. Even till the sun went down on the small, broken town. It would have been a spectacular sunset, had anyone had been there to see it. Danny watched it go from the doorway. He sat there watching the colors blend and mix. It was so beautiful.

Without warning he suddenly stood up feeling a rush deep inside him. He picked up his duffle and slung it over his shoulder. Then, taking a deep breath, he braced himself and took the first step down his front steps. Danny wasn't really sure of where he'd go or even what he'd do when he got there. But one thing was for sure. He was going to follow that sun and over the horizon to wherever it took him.

_**My shadow's the only one that walks beside me  
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating  
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
'Til then I walk alone...**_

So, what'd ya think? I enjoyed writing it as strange as that may sound considering it's a tragedy sort of fic. So review me and tell me what you think. I may even write a sequel but if I do don't expect it anytime soon. It takes FOREVER for me to write one and even longer for me to post it on fanfic. Plus I'm up to my head with unfinished stories I need to finish, homework, etc. Scratch that, I'm over my head. Anyway, I hope you liked it!

P.S. The song is called Boulevard of Broken Dreams (duh) by Greenday.


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